Escaping Hell
by othisluv
Summary: OTH/SPN: Sequel 'No Fear for the Setting Sun'. Peyton makes a deal to save her daughter, and now she's on a mission to make Dean Winchester feel what he made her feel in Hell. Meanwhile, Lucas and Brooke go AWOL and Naley raise Peyton's daughter.
1. Slipping Away

A/N: Continuation of No Fear for the Setting Sun. I really liked that one as a one-shot for OTH alone, so I didn't want to touch it directly. Also this one includes Supernatural on a heavier level, but will include some OTH storylines.

* * *

Peyton lay in the cold dark hospital room, her eyes wide open. She had tried to the get rest as every doctor, nurse, and family member had advised, but her attempts were in vain. She would nearly reach the dreamlike state and then be jolted awake by an image of her funeral. It was such a vivid sight, and she was completely and utterly afraid that these flashes were meant to prepare her. She had been in the hospital a total of 3 days awaiting the birth of a child she didn't know if she would ever see.

"Luke, honey." She said quietly, trying not to jar him from his sleep too abruptly. She wouldn't want to wake him, but she had called Nathan an hour ago and she was certain he was anxiously sitting in the waiting area for the signal that he could go in.

"What's wrong, is it time?" he said as he was by her side awake in a matter of seconds. She knew this was hard on him too, but she had no idea how to help him cope with this.

"Relax, nothing is wrong. Nate should be in the hall, do you think you can send him in? You should go home and shower; take a nap. I'll be fine."

"I'll be back in two hours." He had argued with her the first day when she tried to send him home, but Peyton had more will and never subsided in her requests. When he eventually gave in, he realized that an hour or so away from the hospital gave him the power to think positively; something the four white walls of her room couldn't do.

"I love you." She said lingering on his eyes, taking in all of their colors. She wasn't sure what each moment ahead would bring, and if her last happen to come sooner; she wanted his eyes sketched into her memory.

"I love you too, Peyton. I will see you in a couple of hours." He emphasized the word will, to convince himself and her. Then she pulled his body closer to hers and placed a kiss on his cheek, followed by his lips, lingering on his flesh longer than normal, savoring the feel, just in case this would be their last. He, too, let his eyes linger on her. Despite how hard he had tried to fight the just-in-cases, he too knew they would the only thing to ease the pain if, God forbid, the worst should happen.

And just like that, the wall separated the two as he walked farther away from her hospital room, farther away from her living body. He found Nate in the waiting room, like she said. He was a little concerned that she had called Nathan, especially since she hadn't requested to see anyone since arriving 3 days ago. Nathan was a little concerned too, but he would keep it to himself. He had a smile on his face when he walked into the room where Peyton was leaning against a pillow, tears flowing rapidly down her rosy cheeks.

"Peyton?" he said as he reached her and took her in his arms while sitting on the side of her bed softly.

"Nate, I'm not going to make it. Every time I close my eyes I see my funeral. I see everything from you and Luke in the front row with Brooke and Haley to the baby sized caskets resting beside mine. You have to promise me that you will not let this destroy him." She said frantically, looking straight into his eyes, pleading for the man she loved. He was so taken aback by her release, he sat silently for seconds. "Promise me!" she nearly screamed.

"I…I promise." He said gripping her shoulders a little tighter, trying to stop the jolts of her body.

Hours seemed to pass in the few short moments that followed her breakdown. When her tears halted their path down her cheeks and her breathing slowed, she spoke again. "You have been amazing friend to me, Nate. I don't regret anything about us, not even our time together back in high school. I love you, and Haley and Jamie are lucky to have you as you are them."

"I love you too Peyton, I mean, who else would have kept my sorry ass in line for all these years. But this isn't the end for you Sawyer. You and Luke and this baby are going to be happy."

"If we are, I'll count on the 'I told you so.' Now why don't you go home to that wonderful woman you call a wife, and you tell her how much you love her. I need some time alone." She whispered quietly. This wasn't Peyton, she still had hope a week ago when they sat on that porch swing. Now, she showed no signs of believing she was going to make it.

"If that's what you need."

"It is." She said rubbing her belly gently, keeping a secret of her own.

"Goodnight, Sawyer. We'll all be here for you, and Luke."

"Goodnight, Scott." She pursed her lips and closed her eyes when she saw him round the corner into the hallway. She was thankful that she got to see him one last time. She only wished there was time to see Brooke and Haley once more, but there wasn't. She only asked for the moment alone to allow Nathan time to leave. She had felt the first sign of a contraction right before calling Nathan to come, and she felt the second sign immediately following Luke's departure. She wanted a moment alone before the doctors came, before Luke came back, before she had to say goodbye to the life she had come to love.

"Oh baby, Mama loves you so very much" She whispered through her tears, in the direction of her baby bump.

A woman walked into the room shutting the door behind her, a nurse judging by the pink scrubs she wore. Peyton didn't recognize her, but she was extremely glad to see her as the third siege of pain overtook her abdomen. "Oh honey, are you okay?" she said as she crossed the room to take the young woman's hand.

"No, my baby and I are going to die." She said through gritted teeth, fighting to maintain control of her body.

"I know." The middle age woman agreed, fluffing the pillow behind her before wiping her forehead with a wet washrag that had been resting beside the bed.

"What?" Peyton asked as the pain trailed away.

"I said I know, but it doesn't have end that way for you Peyton." Peyton wasn't following. A nurse in the hospital was agreeing that she and her child would not survive this. What was going on, was she already in hell?

"Huh?"

"I can make sure your baby lives, and in return…"

"Anything, I'll give you anything, just don't let my baby die." She screamed again as another surge of pain swept through her body.

"Tell me that you promise your soul to me, me Lillith, and I will make sure your child lives a long life."

She didn't know how this woman became a nurse, but if it meant that the nurse would help her get through this childbirth and not just stand in the room all night letting her suffer, then she would say anything. "Fine, Lillith, I promise you my soul, just make sure my baby lives."

"As you wish." She said exiting the room, calling the other nurses. "Quick, Ms. Sawyer is in labor, get the gurney, we have to start prepping for surgery."

Peyton screamed one last time before the pain became too much, and her body passed out in an attempt to heal itself. Lillith walked into the bathroom, happy she had just secured the soul of Ellie's daughter before Sam Winchester realized his calling and recruited her himself. She was beginning to think there might be something more to possessing adult bodies. They had more freedom than children. She shook her head as she stepped into the bathroom. Nah, children were better. Nobody every saw her coming in a child's body.

Two days later, Lucas watched as his house went up in flames, every memory he had of Peyton Sawyer erased, just as she was from his life. She hadn't survived the surgery, things didn't go smoothly. He had walked into the hospital after his shower and nap, and had immediately been ambushed by thoughts of sympathy from the nurses. She had known and sent him away. He brought his child home motherless, and practically fatherless as he lost a large portion of himself when Peyton passed. Nathan and Haley were going to become very big pieces of Anna Sawyer Scott's life, whether she liked it or not.

* * *

Peyton shook off the feeling of dust as she settled into her new 'vessel' if you will. Floating into a body through a thick black smoke was extremely disgusting. She was ecstatic to finally rid herself of the torturous events that went on each day of the 4 years she found herself deep in the pits of hell. Monster after monster had the turn trying to break Peyton of her souls connection with morals and goodness. They had even brought in Ellie herself to torture the young woman into submission.

Seeing her had turned out to be a blessing though. She confirmed that when she looked into the mirror to see the golden curls and green eyes of the body she was now calling her own. Turns out Peyton Sawyer had an identical twin. A girl living in a one room apartment on the bad side of San Francisco, a girl with next to no friends and flawless skin, other than that every other detail was the same down to the birthmark on her inner thigh. Peyton cringed as she thought about her own body deteriorating in a small wooden box six feet under ground in the small North Carolina town.

She walked outside into the sunlight for the first time since walking into that stupid hospital room 4 years ago. The sun felt nice, but more importantly the freedom felt amazing. Hell was so confining, always someone around the corner ready to drain your blood one more time or splash your face with holy water. It was also a lot harder to seek revenge when your six feet under. Lucky for her though, some stupid hunters aided in opening the gates of hell, and since Lillith has trusts that they are in alliance, she just barely made it out. So maybe she owed Lillith one soul before doing her own thing in this war. She would get it at some point.

Her focus now, however, was to seek revenge on the one whose torture cut the deepest, who actually brought her pain. He had been pulled from hell, free to walk the world again as human, and he was going to suffer the wrath of one demonic Peyton Sawyer.


	2. Who are we now?

A/N: I do not own One Tree Hill or Supernatural. Hope you enjoy. This story will probably make the most sense if you watch both of these shows.

* * *

"Dean, where are we?" Sam asked as he squinted his eyes against the bright morning light, in search of something lying in the golden fields that passed them by as they continued down pavement before them.

"The open road, Sammy boy. Great day isn't it?"

"Sure, what has you so…" he paused momentarily searching for the word to describe his brother's happiness "chirpy?"

"I talked to Cas last night while you were sleeping. Things are looking up. He thinks the breaking of seals is slowing down."

"So, they're still happening. It is just happening slower."

"Exactly." He grinned with as if a weight were lifted.

"Exactly what, Dean? I don't understand."

"We have more time to find out how I'm supposed to stop all of this. In the mean time, there've been a few disappearances in this small town in North Carolina." He says as he blindly reaches into the backseat and hands Sam a stack of newspaper articles.

"Tree Hill?" Sam says as he slowly begins looking through the articles.

"Yeah, apparently every two weeks a four year old little girl goes missing. No parents or witnesses know what the hell happened to them."

"Dean, are you sure this is a case, I mean, there are a lot of sick pervs out there."

"I know there a lot of sick bastards and if this turns out to be one of them then will have fun kicking his ass, but something tells me this can't be chalked up to sick perverts. These kids are disappearing in seconds. The parent turns around for a second and turns their head back and the kids gone. I'm thinking we're dealing with something straight out of IT."

"Creepy clown IT?" Sam asked wincing while thinking about the creepy clown.

"Yeah, they were all taken while either in a bathroom or walking down the middle of a street with no visible people around. I'm thinking water drains, but we'll have to dig around the local library I guess. I say we stop here for the night." Dean says as they turns onto the blacktop of small motel.

* * *

"Ruby, thought I might find you here." She said as she took a seat beside the black haired woman with her feet dangling over the edge of building.

"What do you want, Peyton?" Ruby said without looking in the direction of the blonde curls she detested.

"My my, what attitude we have. I was checking up on the Winchester boys. How is the plan going?" She asked sincerely, hoping some new information might be divulged.

"You know, I still can't believe that Lillith thought you would be able to help in this. You can find some other way to pass the time. I've got Sam covered. Besides it shouldn't be much longer now anyway." Ruby spoke without giving away the plan, just that the timeline was going on as planned.

"Jealous much? Maybe Lillith just knew that you were getting in over your head. I mean, you act like you're in love with the human."

"You'd be surprised at what you don't know, Peyton. I'm willing to bet that Lillith didn't let you in on as much as you say she did."

"How would I know you were in contact with the Winchesters if I didn't know what was going on?"

"Maybe because you're an eavesdropping bitch." She said rising from her spot, feeling sickened at the gaul of this newly possessed whore to act as though she was actually somebody. Ruby still didn't understand why Ellie Harp and her daughter were such special souls.

"Ouch. That hurts. Really." She sneared dryly at Ruby's comment. So maybe Lillith hadn't really told her anything, but word on the street was that the Winchesters were the key to the war. Lillith wanted Sam alive, but no one seemed to know why. So here Peyton was, trying to play Ruby because as much as she hated Ruby, Ruby knew something.

"Look why don't you go practice your newly possessed powers and go annoy Alistair or something. Some of us actually have things to do."

"Fine, but you'll see me again." She smiled at the woman, hoping to grate further at her nerves before exiting. She had enough. She knew Ruby was threatened by her and the fact that she escaped when the gates were opened.

Moments found herself walking down the alley of the building, her eyes stangely attracted to a motel across the street. She had never actually seen Sam Winchester, but a few minutes of gawking at the rundown establishment, she saw an extremely tall dark haired man exit one of the rooms, checking every angle before venturing into the dark night. This man had to be Sam. She would know soon enough when she watched him enter the building she had left Ruby on top of. She gave him a few minutes before making her way to the room she assumed would not be empty. Ruby may be taking care of Sam, but didn't Dean deserve some attention too.

She took a bobby pin out of her hair and wedged it into the lock of the door. She knew in her life before this she had never done anything to teach her this, but she thinks that her twin sister may have. That's probably where she obtained the knowledge. She wasn't surprised to see Dean leaning on the headboard verging on sleep when she entered.

"Well, well, I knew your mental capacity was low, but the Disney channel? Really Dean?" She said taking a seat on the bed parallel to Dean's as the The Suite Life of Zac and Cody played on in the background.

"Peyton Sawyer, right, I mean you never did get your wedding, did you?" He said as he sat up. She could still remember the things that happened to her before dying, but she felt no connection to them anymore. Hell had broke her of that, Dean himself actually. He was the second to torture her soul there. The first year was the toughest because she could still feel everything, the love, the pain, the regret. Dean, being so far torn from his human mindframe at that point, was not afraid to use any information he could to strike the nerves in the poor woman as he tried to break her spirit for her eternal destiny.

"Forgot to salt the door, huh?"

"And when I needed to the most. Would you mind not dirtying up my brother's bed with your demon bitch smell."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, there are mirrors in this room, I can see the knife behind sticking out of your back pocket. I really thought you'd be smarter at this demon fighting stuff, I mean, Daddy trained you for 20 something years, didn't he? Must be why you are so bad, he didn't survive did he?" She smiled evilly when she saw the flicker of pain enter his eyes.

"Bitch."

"Jerk." She countered knowing the meaning it held for him. He wasn't the only

one who knew the other's weaknesses. Being a demon had its perks, she was able to study them without anyone being the wiser. "You know he went out to meet her, don't you?"

"You're lying." He said with a strong belief. He had talked to Sam just last week, and he had denied having any contact with Ruby for the last several. After everything Sam wouldn't be lying to him now.

"If that's what you want to believe." She said as she rose from her seat to the spot in between the beds, trapped in by Dean standing figure. She moved quickly as she grabbed his wrist before the knife could reach her chest. "I told you I wouldn't do that, and you did. You really are stupid aren't you?" She used her powers to sling him back against the wall of the hotel.

"Damn, that hurt." He stated as he began to stand himself back on his feet.

"I know" she managed to whisper before walking out the door, hoping to leave his mind full of doubts of his brother and Ruby. This way she could seek revenge on both Ruby and Dean, putting Dean on Ruby's trail while he slowly loses his trust in his brother, which will be torture on the human.

* * *

"Anna! Jamie! Time to go." Nathan called for the two children as he reached for his keys and wallet.

"Do we have to go,Daddy?" the blonde haired child asked as he pouted down the stairs.

"Yes, where is Anna?"

"Here" the young girl with blonde curls and green eyes said as she walked into the room with her shoes still untied. "I can't get the bunny to go through the hole" she admitted as she looked up through her tear filled eyes.

Nathan paused for a moment, remembering all of the times he had seen the same eyes with those same tears looking at him, often because of something he did. He still has trouble believing that Peyton didn't make it through the birth of the precious child before him. He has an even harder time believing that Lucas doesn't regret giving he and Haley custody of the young child. He signed over his rights and skipped town.

"I'll help." He said as leaned down on one knee before the little girl, easily tying the laces in a neat bow.

"Honey, did you get the door opener out of the other car?" Haley asked as she descended the steps in a happier manner than her son had moments earlier.

"Yes. There's a new postcard from Luke on the table." Lucas hasn't come back into town since the day he left, but instead he sends a postcard each month, if only to let his brother and best friend know that he was still alive.

"When is Brooke's plane landing?" She asked as she grabbed her purse from the kitchen table.

"10:30. We still have a few minutes."

"I'm glad she is coming in, we haven't seen her since Lucas signed those papers. It isn't fair to her" she motioned to the child sitting on the couch.

"I know, but we can't make them come home, and we can't just make them wake up and deal with it. It's been four years. It is what it is, and all we can do is make sure she is loved and taken care of."

"And make sure she knows better music than what you listen to. Really Jay-z?" She said grabbing the cd from the table. "Peyton would slap you for exposing her daughter to that. Let's try the Ataris for this road trip. She always said she listened to that when you did something stupid. Sound about right?" she smirked at her husband. She was glad that they were at a point where they both had dealt with everything enough that they could talk about her without so much sadness. They told Anna about her, and when she fully understood they would continue explaining it all.

"Funny, Hales. Real funny. Okay kids, let's load up." He turns to the kids.

"I love you, Daddy." The little girl says as she wraps her arms around Nathan's neck.

"I love you Mommy." She continues when she does the same to Haley.

"We love you too, sweetheart." They respond and then repeat the same thing with Jamie and each other. They have learned not to take anything for granted. Before leaving on road trips of an hour or more they hug and tell each member of their small family that they love them. Today, they were off to the airport in Charlotte to pick up their Godmother, Brooke. They only hoped they could convince her to stay long enough to get to know the children better. Jamie had changed a good bit in the four years since Peyton's death. A nine year old boy with basketball on the brain, and Anna had turned into the most precious child they could ever imagine, the spitting image of the friend they lost.


	3. Back to the Land of the Feeling

A/N: I still do not own One Tree Hill or Supernatural. Enjoy!  


* * *

"What happened here?" Sam asked concerned as he saw the crack in the wall where Dean's body lodged earlier.

"Nothing." Dean said from his spot on the bed. "Just going through Dad's journal." He had a few questions for his father, and since John died, the journal was his only way to find out. Had John had the same kind of experiences with demons as he and Sam were having. He considered Peyton a thorn in his side, but he was becoming increasingly concerned about Sam's growing relationship with Ruby.

"Why what do you think we are up against?"

"I still can't find anything, so I'm thinking Stephen King hit the nail on the head with his creepy gutter clown. You might want to rent it and watch the ending. I know you never made that far" Dean said as he rose from his spot on the bed, defeated. He still hadn't found anything in his dad's journal to indicate that he had done anything with demons but kill them, something Dean was wishing he had already done with both of the black-eyed bitches. Now though he had stuff to do.

"Where are you going?" Sam questioned as he let his body fall onto the mattress, smelling the slight scent of sulfur as he sunk into the pillow. He thought he had washed up enough after meeting with Ruby to rid himself of the smell. He had to be more careful next time, or Dean would be suspicious.

"I'm going to the library to research past disappearances." He grabbed his leather jacket, put it on, and ever so gently popped the collar.

"I'll come with you."

"No, you'll rent IT and watch it. I've got this covered." He said throwing Sam the blockbuster card and pointing to the big blue and yellow sign down the street before walking out the door.

He got behind the wheel of his slick black Chevy Impala, relaxing slightly at the sound of the engine as it cranked. His car always made him feel better. He wasn't going to the library, he was going to confront Ruby about her intentions with Sam. Was she using him for her own purposes, or could she really remember what it was like to be human as she had stated to him a few months ago. He found himself wondering when he started believing that demons had the ability to being descent, and realized maybe he should be worrying about his own relationships with good and evil and not just Sam's.

He stopped along a deserted road in the small North Carolina county. The green sign had read 'River Road', and he stopped in a gravel pull off bordering the water.

"RUBY!!!" he shouted harshly as he shut the door to his car and began shuffling gravel with his boots.

"RUBY! We need to talk." He screamed loudly into the abandoned wilderness.

"Dean, didn't expect you to call me." The voice echoed behind him as he faced the water.

He turned to see the black haired woman he had been calling out for. "What are you doing to my brother."

"I'm helping him."

"Well, stop! We don't need your help."

"Right, because you have the angels."

"You're a fool if you think that all the angels are walking the straight and narrow. You might now believe me, but if you have any shot at stopping the end of the world then your going to need Sam, and Sam needs me to help him build up his strength. I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh, I'd be willing to bet otherwise." He stated calmly as he rubbed his index finger over the trigger of the colt resting in his pocket. "I don't know what you're doing to him to help him build his strength, but I don't trust you."

"Well, let's all bow to Dean Winchester. I'm outta here. Remember me when Sam saves your ass because you're too weak to take on the world alone. He always was stronger than you."

Damn him for believing she just might be telling the truth. He couldn't bring himself to pull the damn trigger and just off her already. "Today's your lucky day, you get to walk, but could you at least tell Peyton to leave me the hell alone."

"Better you than me, buddy." She said before disappearing into the trees. Dean had let her go on her own way, obviously aware that she knew something about the Apocalypse and a belief that she just might be working to help the Winchester boys.

Dean was left to contemplate just why Ruby and Peyton didn't get along. Perhaps Peyton held the key to unlocking the secrets Ruby was keeping. He would have to worry about that later, right now he had research to do.

* * *

Peyton Sawyer, the demon, wasn't sure what to expect when she entered the town of Peyton Sawyer, the human, but she imagined it wouldn't be much more than she was prepared to handle in her attempts at torturing Dean Winchester. Strangely, however, when she crossed the 'now entering' sign to the small town, she felt no pain or heartache, just a small uneasiness in the pit of her stomach, one easily suppressed.

She knew she would need to lay low in this town because otherwise someone would recognize her sister's body as Peyton's and she would have to explain the sister's existence, an annoyance she wasn't prepared for. So she snuck around through the alleyways connecting with Main Street, thinking that at some point she would find Dean Winchester trying to get with some two bit whore in the broad of afternoon. But she didn't find him, so she made her way to the library, knowing that sex was first on his mind and work came in at a close second.

She had to cross Main Street to get to the round building that housed the books down the road, and for that split second she cursed herself. Had she not turned her head, or if she had crossed further down, maybe the sinking feeling in her stomach wouldn't have developed into more. It wouldn't have developed into a knifelike pain twisting into her guts. But each strand on the little girl's head down the street was another string squeezing her heart. Apparently hell hadn't taken it as she had previously assumed.

Her eyes ached for release as she observed the small child, the image of her young self. She had golden curls, green eyes, and a sour look plastered on her face. She only prayed, although she didn't know to whom anymore, that the young girl was as sad as she had been when her mother wasn't there. She smiled at the sight of Anna; that's what they had planned to name the child if it were a girl, with her Uncle Nathan and Cousin Jamie walking into the Clothes over Bros store.

She wanted to turn away and forget everything, but the key to her heart had turned and she knew she would be forced to live in an eternity where she wouldn't know her daughter. She peered around the corner of the building she was currently leaning on and when it appeared safe she ventured to the next, hoping to get a better glimpse of the family she had forgotten. She was beginning to think hell was nothing compared to being on the earth among those she had loved.

She could see Jamie and Brooke exchanging a hug and Anna peering at all of the beautiful clothes. Nathan standing there laughing as she mimicked Brooke's walk to the counter. She toyed with the idea of walking into the store, she could pretend to be the sister whose body she possessed, that wasn't really a stretch to anyone imagination, but she feared she wouldn't be able to maintain the distance she would need. She stepped forward inch by inch almost deciding to throw good sense out the window, but she was stopped by the man who had become the bane of her existence.

"They're better off without you, you know?" he said as he pulled her back into the alleyway. "I mean, look at the smile on that little girl's face." He was thankful that Peyton was so easy to read, otherwise he wouldn't have known what she was looking at, but it was all to clear she was staring at the face of the child she never met. He almost felt bad for the way he had treated the woman as he watched the pain stain the face of the blonde. Almost, he still couldn't forget that she was a demon. "Come on, we don't need these people getting suspicious about all of the things that go bump in the night, and if they see a dead woman walking around, they will." He pulled her into the library with him, carefully leading her down aisles that were empty so that no one would see her. He was certain with the size of the town it would only take on person to spot the curls to start an uproar.

He sat her in the chair facing the wall, while he pulled out the box of newspapers and sat opposite her at the table. When she looked up at him, he knew what she was going to say, but he put his hand up for her to not say it. "I'm helping this town more than I'm helping you. I still see you as a demon bitch that you are, and I really wish you would tell me why you are following me."

"Because I hate you. You're a cold-hearted asshole." She hated him for everything he did and said to her in Hell, she hated him for his comment moments ago. What child is better off without their mother.

"You should know, you're trying to turn me against my own brother, it's not going to work," he whispered harshly beneath the silence of the library.

"We'll see." She was stone cold in her response. Her hatred for Dean Winchester could not waiver just because she was in the same town as her child, and now she was certain that Dean should go through everything she is. Why was he so special that he got to come back to earth and be with his brother? It wasn't fair.

* * *

"She has gotten even more adorable since the last time I was home, she looks just like her." It was bittersweet staring into the green eyes of the young girl mimicking her actions. She was a beautiful child, but she represented so much that they would never have back. She was coming back, no matter how much they wished it.

"It's okay, Brooke, you can cry. We all miss her, but we aren't running away from it." He reached for her, but she turned to look elsewhere. She had spent the last four years avoiding her feelings, masking them from the people around her didn't really give a damn anyway. Here it was different, Nathan and Haley cared, and that made facing her feelings that much harder.

"I told you and Haley that I would stay, but you can't expect me to be okay here. She's there every single time I turn around. That mannequin, right there, I used it to make her wedding dress, and she never got to wear it. It's still in the back room. And that bench out there," she pointed to the bench in front of the building across the street, "that's where we had our first argument about you. I kept telling her that you would break her heart, but she fought so hard to tell me otherwise. And then there's this little girl, and she looks just like Peyton did when I first met her in kindergarten. It's a lot to live through all over again."

"I know, Brooke, trust me. I'm raising her daughter, she calls me 'dad' and I am forced to wonder if we had had kids together if they would look like her, and then that same bench, I see the night we shared our first kiss and our first breakup. I see these things too, but it starts hurting less. I promise," he said as he wrapped his arms comfortingly around her shoulders.

They both took a moment to gaze at the bench longingly hoping the image they were seeing of her to pop into their sight, both replaying their own memories in their head. Nathan turned back to the children who were giving Millie a hard time, but Brooke stood there for a moment longer. She shuddered as she caught sight of a blonde woman retreating into the alley. "Peyton…?" she whispered, barely audible to Nathan.

"What?" he turned to see what Brooke was talking about.

"Peyton, there." She said pointing to spot where the woman had been.

"I see her too sometime, and then a few seconds later, I see the person who's really there. I think I just want to pretend that she's going to walk back into our lives and everything will be okay. I'll have my best friend and my brother back, but it's not going to happen. You'll start seeing her less too." He explained as he followed her finger, but saw nothing but a young boy and blonde woman strolling along the sidewalk.

"But she looked so real." She said through her raspy voice, stifling the tears and sobs from taking her body over.

"Always does."

"I know why I stayed away for four years now, I couldn't bear this." She added as she fell into his open arms seeking the comfort he was offering.

"Millie's been great at running this store, but she isn't you, and we need you, Brooke. Haley and I we do what we can for her, but she needs you in her life, she needs someone who shared a bigger bond with her mother than either of us ever did."

"She needs him." Three words and not a name, but both knew who they were talking about. Both knew that the child shouldn't be calling Nathan 'daddy' that the word should belong to the blonde Scott instead.


	4. World turned over

"Anna banana, come play with your Aunt Brooke." the brunette woman pleaded with the young curly blonde child as she sat in the floor with the new Brooke Davis barbie doll in hand.

"But I don't like barbie dolls." she whined as she sat beside her godmother. Brooke couldn't stop the tears from filling her eyes. She really was the spitting image of her best friend.

"Okay, how about we go through the songs on your iPod and dance around?" she said while placing the black iPod in the speaker dock and turning on the power.

"I think that sounds like fun." she screamed with excitement, taking Brooke's hands and starting to dance before the adult beside her could even begin to rise.

Nathan and Haley sat on the couch just watching the two, while Jamie played guitar hero in the corner. These were times that they wished they could share with their best friends. And while nothing would bring Peyton back, Lucas was away of his own free will. Nathan was hoping Brooke could help him out with that one little fact. He had a feeling she knew more than she was letting on.

When the two girls had tired out, Haley brought them water and then disappeared. It didn't take long before Brooke needed a minute alone, away from the memories of Peyton.

"Haley, what are you doing out here?" Brooke asked as she excused herself from the Scott house to find Haley sitting by the pool staring at the water blankly.

"Just needed a break."

"Is everything okay, I mean, you seem sad, sadder than me?" she said as she took the seat beside her friend.

"I'm pregnant." she whispered, never looking at Brooke.

"Haley, that's great." She pulled her friend into a reluctant hug.

"Is it?" The question rang through the air with pain attached.

"I don't understand. Why aren't you happy about this?" Brooke flinched. She hadn't been so lucky to get pregnant, despite wanting to desparately. She couldn't understand why this wasn't a reason to rejoice.

"Don't get me wrong. I love being a mother, and another baby will be great. But Nathan and I are struggling to keep up the family we have now. I mean, he coaches for Tree Hill. We don't have any of the money left from his short lived NBA days. After the second accident..." she stopped a moment to breathe. "It's just a lot. I'm not sure how we're going to do it."

"I'll help. I have plenty of money, Haley. And you could always put out that record you...."

"NO! I can't put that out there." she protested.

"She would've wanted you too. You know how she felt about good music. She wouldn't have wanted it stored on a shelf for no one to hear."

"I know, but I just can't. Can you get that?"

"We'll all survive this, you know?"

"I know. I'm just a little sad today."

"Well, get happy. Your kid is going to have all of the Baby Brooke clothes it could ever dream of."

"Thanks, Brooke. You better promise to stay in town because I don't think I can go through losing you again."

"Deal. Now how about we go back inside and join that beautiful family of yours? I've got lost time to make up for."

They walked back into the house in time for Nathan to hang up the phone and turn towards them.

"Who was it, babe?" Haley asked her husband, curiously.

"Do you remember Sam from a few years back?"

"Yeah, he was researching urban legends at Duke, right?"

"That's him, well, apparently he is in town. He wants to catch up so I'm going to meet him at Tric and hang out for a while if that's okay with you. He sounded like he needed someone to talk to, maybe about Jess. I imagine he still hasn't dealt with that."

"I don't think he ever will. He seemed to be pretty good at pushing it away from the conversation, but, yeah, go. Tell him I said hi."

"Thanks, Hales. You're the best."

"We love our tutor mom." Brooke said as she entered into the conversation.

"Hey, Nathan, maybe you should invite him to dinner."

"Maybe I will." he said before leaving the house to go meet up with a man with whom he'd made fast friends with a few years ago.

* * *

"Dean, you got to see this." he said as he placed the laptop down on the table and watched the video playing as he sat down.

Dean put down the piece of bacon he had in his hand and focused on the screen. "That's the feed from the park." He stated wide eyed under hushed breath. "How'd you get that?"

"Small town codes seem to always follow a pattern. It was pretty easy to hack, but more importantly, did you see what I saw?" he asked his brother.

"The travelling dark blotch. Yeah, I saw it, but what is it?"

"I don't know yet, but look at the feed two hours earlier. Does this guy look suspicious to you?"

"Yeah, like he's about to proposition a hooker. That's not uncommon in parks, you know?"

"How would you know that?"

"I watch the news." He said forcefully. Did his brother really just insinuate that he had to pay to get a woman to sleep with him?

"I was thinking more, that he looks like he is trying to set something up. I mean, look at the way he is measuring the bench with his hands, and the way he bends down to tie his shoe, he is looking under the gazebo for something. I think we should try to find this guy."

"Look, the library is across the street. You go print the picture and meet me in about 20 minutes at my car."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to finish my breakfast, and then get that hot chic in the corner booth's phone number."

Sam just rolled his eyes and waltzed out of the cafe.

When Dean finally finished his breakfast, the pretty brunette had already left, so he made his way out the double glass doors to the fine establishment where they had stopped to eat.

"What the hell?..." he said to himself as he was pulled into the alleyway, only to have his body slammed against the brick wall of the building. "Peyton?" he said as she pushed her forearm against his neck, applying just enough pressure to keep him pinned. Damn demon strength, he cursed to himself. He cursed himself too for letting himself be pushed around by a demon, a woman on top of that.

"You need to get your brother off my ass. He's got Ruby scrying for me, and then he comes and finds me and tries his stupid powers to kill me. It hurts. Enough already. Got it?" she pleaded, or more accurately demanded, of the man facing her.

"Oh yeah, and when does he find time to do all of this?" he smirked to himself. Unbelievable. This thing thought she could just push him around and get answers and everything would be just as she asked for it to be. He wasn't going to just agree with a demon. Unlike his brother he still knew that there was a difference between good and evil.

"Maybe while you're lazy ass is sleeping?" she countered, displaying her own smirk. If she were being honest with herself, Dean was attractive, and she was still a woman. But no, he was the enemy. He hurt her. She kept reminding herself.

"Why does he want to kill you so bad?"

"Maybe because his precious Ruby is threatened by me." 'Ruby' Dean thought. She was the real problem. How had she gotten such a hold on his brother. Hell, he knew how well she could lie firsthand. And it wasn't the first demon Sam had connected with, he thought back to Meg before they realized what an evil bitch she was.

Both were startled when Peyton's body was forced against the opposing brick wall, setting Dean free, and leaving Peyton immobile and pissed.

"Damn it, not this again." she sighed thinking that Sam had found them in the alleyway and was going to try this whole thing over again. It was getting old and it was starting to take a toll on the blonde's esophagus.

"Cas.." Dean murmured when he watched his guiding angel's figure appear at the other end of the alley.

"Dean...Peyton." he nodded. Dean was not sure what to think of the angel's cordiality to the demon. He thought the battle lines between the two were set in stone.

"Castiel?" she whispered. "Ellie said I might run into you up here."

"Ellie always was a woman of her word. Even if her actions weren't so straight and narrow."

"Wait a second. Ellie's a demon too. What are you guys buddy-buddy now?" Dean chimed, disgustedly.

"Ellie was a human once Dean? She had her own purpose. In the end, she chose to go to hell."

"Hello! Me against the wall over here. Can you let me go now?"

"Not until I'm gone, Peyton. You are still under Lillith's loyalty to some degree so I do have to proceed with some caution."

"Lillith?" Dean screamed from behind Castiel. "Let me call Sam now, I'll help him kill you this time."

"Dean, calm down. Peyton has to live. She has a purpose. She can help you."

"I don't follow."

"Righteous people can end up in Hell too, Dean. You should know that. All it takes it one moment of weakness with the wrong person willing to help you."

"You're telling me I should trust a demon, where does it stop after that, you going to tell me that Lucifer isn't really bad."

"No he's bad."

"Who said I was going to help them?" She said breaking up the conversation between the two again.

"Look, Peyton, I know that you don't forgive Dean for what happened to you down there? But he isn't to blame for this. You should understand what hell does to you, you experienced it."

"Well, they don't exactly teach us demons to forgive now."

"Dean, come here." he said leading them away from the blonde before speaking again, more quietly. "Look, I know she isn't ready for any of this, but she's an inside source right now, and she is going to play a bigger part in this than either of you know. She'll learn forgiveness, and I need you to be there when she does. Don't let Sam kill her."

"This is insane, Cas. I can't trust that b... witch."

"Just don't let her die, Dean, that's all I'll ask for right now."

"Find I'll babysit the freakin' demon." he said turning from Castiel and walking back to Peyton. "You're one lucky woman." he said continueing out into the openness of the road and towards the car.

He got into the driver's side and faced his brother seriously. "You got to lay off Peyton. Stop practicing on her. Apparently, we need her to live."

"Sure, whatever, look, I have to get out of here. I've got to meet an old acquaintance, do some digging on this case." he said nonchalantly, not wanting to focus on the subject. The amount of things unsaid between the brothers was growing larger and larger with each day.

"Fine, I've got some things I need to do anyway. Meet you back at the motel."

"Fine." he watched as Sam slammed the door to his Impala. He wasted only seconds before pressing the gas pedal and heading in the direction of Charlotte.

* * *

He looked down at the Charlotte Herald skimming over the births and obituaries. He was looking for something. He moved on to the lifestyles, and then the local news. Still nothing.

"Thanks." he said never taking his eyes from his plate, but acknowledging the waitress had brought him some more water.

He ate the food quickly, only doing it so he didn't perish. He had spent the last few years searching for answers. Why was the love of his life gone? Why did she leave him alone to raise a baby?

His own guilt often pushed through his list. Why did I leave my baby alone? Why am such a coward that I can't face life without her?

What had him on the road? Well that was the question that he had everyone in Tree Hill asking. He could still feel her. He could feel her spirit. But where was she? Why wasn't she coming back to him? And why did he now, after 4 years, finally have the intense urge to return to Tree Hill?


End file.
